Jeffrey A. Leonard

Co-Chair, Business Law Department

Jeff is the founder of Cozen O’Connor’s Real Estate Practice, co-chair of the Business Law Department, and a member of the firm’s board of directors and Management Committee.

Jeff has decades of experience handling sophisticated real estate transactions, including portfolio acquisitions and dispositions, ground lease transactions, multifamily acquisitions and financings, large-scale urban development projects, joint venture formation, private equity investments, loan workouts, and leasing. Jeff prides himself as being a deal maker who can facilitate practical solutions for complex real estate issues.

Jeff was the firm’s first real estate attorney when he joined Cozen O’Connor. Since the Real Estate Practice’s humble origin, Cozen O’Connor has built a preeminent real estate practice that today boasts more than 70 attorneys in offices across the country.

Currently, Jeff serves as chair/co-chair of the Business Law Department, a position he has held since 2012. Over the course of his tenure, the Business Law Department has doubled in headcount and revenue. Jeff has been instrumental in launching and expanding key transactional practices in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, District of Columbia, and Vancouver.

Jeff devotes particular attention to fostering Cozen O’Connor’s collaborative and supportive firm culture. While understanding that the profession has evolved as a business, he believes that the performance metric that best reflects Cozen O’Connor’s true success is its high partner retention rate.

Outside of the firm, Jeff is a board member of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., which joined together in a unique partnership in 2021. The combined organization is designed to bring superlative performances and dynamic educational programs to the city’s diverse audience. As part of his service, Jeff chairs the People & Culture Committee.

Jeff is a 1982 graduate of Lafayette College and is a 1985 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a member of The Tax Lawyer. He has been ranked by Chambers and Partners USA each year since 2011. 

Experience

News

Nearly 100 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 27 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2024 Guide

June 10, 2024

Chambers USA rankings are based on an “assessment of a firm’s work and opinions from external market sources, with an emphasis on client feedback.” In order to be ranked in the guide, lawyers and firms must demonstrate “sustained excellence.”

Eighty-eight Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 23 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2023 Guide

June 05, 2023

Of the 88 lawyers ranked, 17 lawyers have been recognized nationally, and eighteen were recognized in Band 1. Eight of the firm's practice areas have been recognized nationally, and nine were ranked Band 1.

Chambers Ranks 86 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 22 Practice Areas in Chambers USA 2022 Guide

June 02, 2022

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 86 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2022 edition.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

82 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 19 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2021 Guide

May 26, 2021

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 82 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2021 edition; of those, 15 lawyers have been recognized nationally.

200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

63 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 16 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2020 Guide

May 14, 2020

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 63 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2020 edition.

64 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

May 21, 2019

Super Lawyers has selected 64 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Fifty-four Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 12, 2018

Super Lawyers has named 54 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Events & Seminars

Past Events

Education

  • Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1985
  • Lafayette College, A.B., 1982

Awards & Honors

Chambers and Partners USA, 2011-2024
* This award is conferred by Chambers and Partners. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, 2004-2019
* This award is conferred by Super Lawyers. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Pennsylvania
  • American Bar Association
  • International Council of Shopping Centers
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • Philadelphia Bar Association